IF Gordon Brown hoped New Year would enable him to leave his troubles behind and give him a fresh start he could not have been more mistaken. The source of his latest woes, however, seems to have taken him by surprise, for it is something in his gift which he could have used very much to his advantage: the honours system.

It’s true that we didn’t do too badly in Wales – those who were recognised this New Year generally had a distinguished record of service in the community. There was little cronyism on show and a refreshing lack of political patronage for those already amply rewarded through their work.

There could and should have been many more, though. We could name dozens of people all thoroughly deserving of special recognition in their fields. And had not the prime minister pledged to reform the system in favour of the ordinary citizen who behaves extraordinarily – not least specifically those caught up in the July 7 London bombings, whose actions in helping the dying and wounded were exemplary, selfless and courageous?

Instead we have OBEs for Kylie Minogue, nice girl of North Wales descent though she may be, a BBC television news reader, a football commentator; a knighthood for Michael Parkinson to put him on a par with all the knights he has interviewed over the years; a Blair aide and Downing Street spokesman who becomes a Companion of the Order of the Bath.

Where are all these “unsung heroes of our cities, town and villages” which Mr Brown alleged the list contained?

Every year it’s the same: small honours for “small” people, big ones for big names whose owners are already captains of industry, party political lackeys, highly paid sports stars, celebrities and entertainers of one shade or another for whom a gong is often just another piece of free publicity. Mr Parkinson, with commendable candour, is reported to have said he’d have been more honoured to have been able to play cricket for his beloved Yorkshire.

Civil servants and bureaucrats involved in the aftermath of the July 7 atrocities have been honoured but not Joe Public. In other words nothing’s changed but if anything it’s worse because Blair never pretended he was interested in rewarding the meritorious conduct of people who had nothing to offer his government or party. We all have a fairly good idea how and why some top honours came to be made, but under Brown it was all supposed to be different.